Article of furniture



Nov. 27, 194s. G. E. @HE-ARN 2,389,994 ARTICLE 0F FURNITURE Filed Nov. 1l, 1942 2 Sheets-She'et 2 N SB Patented Nov. 27, 1945 N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE George E. QHearn, Gardner, Mass.

Application November 11, 1942, SerialNo. 465,196

Claims.

This invention relates to articles of manufacture in the furniture art and more specifically to furniture embodied in chairs, seats, sofas, etc.

Objects of the invention include the provision of' novel easy chairs or overstuffed or upholstered furniture, or cushioned Wooden furniture, or the like, wherein the resilience and comfort thereof does not depend on steel springs, nor even on padded cushions, etc., but on the contrary is built into the furniture itself and embodies wooden parts arranged in a novel manner to impart the desired comfort and resilience, although pads and cushions may be used also.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of la base, a seat frame rockably or swingably mounted on the base, and w-ooden L- shaped Ysprings secured at one arm of the Lto the base in a fixed manner, the other arm of the L being free to spring and resilient-.ly holding the seat frame lin a predetermined unloaded position so as to allow resilient depression of the seat frame as it is used for a body support.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the provision of Wooden parts enhancing the yieldability of the seat frame and its resiliency and comfort to the user.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the Vaccompanying drawings in-which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of an yarticle of furniture embodying the invention;

Fig.'2 is a front view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig, 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail of a slat connection;

Fig. 'l is a plan View of a modification; and

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

In the drawings the character Ill indicates a stationary box-like base for a chair, the latter being selected to illustrate the invention. It is pointed out that the invention is in n-o way restricted to chairs but may be embodied in sofas, upholstered furniture, etc.

The base ID may comprise a box-like frame including the sides II as shown and a front rail IZ and rear rail I3, these elements being secured to the side pieces by conventional brackets or the like I4. The side elements II are each provided with a top surface I6 for a purpose to be described.

On the base element I propose to mount a sea-t frame indicated generally at I8, this frame having side and end members and if desired arm rests 20 and back rests 22. This article of furniture may be equipped with cushions, pads, or the like. Each side element of the seat frame is provided with arocker element 24 which is bolted thereto on the inside surface of each side member. Each rocker element has a curved bottom surface and is adapted to ride directly on the surfaces I6, it being noted that the side `elements I8 of the seat frame extend laterally outwardly of side elements of base frame, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. By this arrangement the seat frame will be seen to be rockably or swingingly mounted on the base element I0, so that a person sitting in the chair or sofa, as the case may be, `may lean back against the back rest and thereby depress the rear of the seat frame to achieve a `more comfortable sitting position.

Each rocking member 24 is provided with a guide element 2li secured thereto and depending therefrom at the inside surfaces or side members of the base frame. A slot 28 of desired configuration extends through the lower end of each guide element 2 6, and a bolt, pin, or the like 30 extends through the slot and is anchored in the corresponding side member of the base element. This bolt or `pin 39 fits loosely in the slot and may be provided with a washer'to prevent lateral movement ofthe guide element relative thereto. Slot 28 may be of any shape necessary to permit the rocking motion of the seat frame, but I prefer to form this slot along a curve as shown in Fig. 4 to permit the rocking action of the seat but to obviate vertical motion-of the seat relative tothe base IIl.

I provide a pair of preformed, bent wooden spring elements for yieldably and resiliently maintaining the seat in a substantially horizontal position as shown in Fig. 4, these wooden springs however allowing a depression of either the front or rear 0f the seat relative to the base element. Each of the wooden springs is in the form of an L-shaped strip having a short arm 32 and a long arm 34. The short arm of each strip is sol idly and flxedly secured at its end by any desired means to the front rail I2 of the base frame, and a cleat 3B is then secured to the front rail and the strips to make a more rigid and solid construction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the long arms 34 of the strips extend at an angle, forming the L, relative to the short arms 32. and rearwardly thereof to a point slightly to the rear of rear rail I3. A slot 33 is formed at the free end of each long arm 34 of the spring strips, and a bolt or pin fastener 40, having a washer, passes through each slot and into a member of the back rest 22, forming a lost motion connection. These slots are for the purpose of improving the resilient and comfortable properties of the article of furniture, but they are not absolutely necessary to the -invention and I do not wish to be limited thereto.

From the above description it will be seen that the seat frame I8, although supported on the frame I by means of the rocking elements 24, is nevertheless maintained in a predetermined substantially horizontal position Iby means of the wooden spring strips. When the chair or sofa is sat in, the long arms 34 of the spring strip will be deflected and in eiect will pivot downwardly so that the seat I8 may rock towards the rear to assume the angle of the seat of an overstuffed chair. Also, the front edge of the seat may be depressed if it is sat upon, pivoting the long arms 34 slightly upwardly and tending to separate arms 32 and 34; but this action will be to a less degree than that of the reverse, depressing action on arms 34, which tends to move the arms of the spring toward each other.

I provide a pair of cleats 42 on the inside surface of the side members of the seat frame, these cleats serving to support a plurality of transverse slats 44 which are secured at their ends to the cleats. In Fig. 6 I show the connections between the slats and the cleats, each connection comprising a slot 46 in the slat parallel thereto and receiving a fastener 48. It will be seen that when the article of furniture is sat in, the slats will be deflectedand the slots 46 will allow a slippage or lost motion at the ends of the slats to enhance the exibility and resilient effect of the slats. It may7 be desirable to provide slots 46 at both ends of each slat or merely at one end thereof and I do not wish to be specifically limited to either construction.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I show a modification of the invention wherein side elements 50 and front and rear elements 52 and 54 respectively form a seat frame. L-shaped wooden spring strips 56, similar to the spring strips 32, 34, are secured at their short ends to the front rail 52, and the longer arms extend rearwardly and are free to flex at their ends. A series of spaced slats 58 extends transversely across spring strips 56, and the effect is to provide an inner spring for the seat frame, wherein slats 58 and spring 5S will be deflected downwardly when the chair is sat in even though seat frame 50, 52, 54 is xed and does not move in the manner of seat frame I8. The slats 58 may have the slotted end connections as described as to slats 44, but this is not necessary, and slats 58 may be rigidly secured to the spring strips 56 if desired.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof. I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. An article of furniture comprising side pieces and front and rear end members forming a base, a separate seat rockably supported on the side pieces, a leaf spring in the form of an yL having a short and a long arm, the short arm being xed to the front end member of the base, the long arm extending freely rearwardly to underlie the seat, a connection between the seat at its rear end only and the free end of the long arm, whereby said seat may be resiliently depressed at its rear, rocking on the base, and tending to bring the arms of the L toward each other, and whereby the seat may be resiliently depressed to a lesser degree at its front, and tending t0 separate the arms of the L.

2. An article of furniture as recited in claim l wherein said connection includes a. lost motion device.

3. An article of furniture as recited in claim 1 wherein said connection includes means comprising a slot in the free end of the long arm and a headed fastener extending through the slot into the seat.

4. An article of furniture comprising a base, having side pieces and rear end members, a separate seat frame, said side pieces having top bearing surfaces, said frame having a curved rocker element bearing on each said surface for mounting the seat frame on the base in rockable relation thereto, a guide for each rocker element depending therefrom, a slot in each guide, a fastener or the like extending through the slot into the ibase to permit rocking action of the seat frame on the base but preventing excess vertical motion thereof, a pair of L-shaped wooden spring strips each secured at one of its ends to the front end member of the base, said strips extending inwardly from said base end member under the seat frame, a connection between the other end of each spring strip and the rear end only of the seat frame, said spring strips yieldably tending to maintain the seat frame in substantially horizontal position but providing for a yielding resilient depression of two opposite edges thereof separately.

5. An article of furniture as recited in claim 4 wherein said connection includes a lost motion device.

GEORGE E. OHEARN. 

